Behavioral and Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Lapham Hall, 3209 N Maryland Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53201, USA.
Ecol Lett. 2014 Feb;17(2):203-10. doi: 10.1111/ele.12220. Epub 2013 Dec 18.
Community genetics research has demonstrated 'bottom-up' effects of genetic variation within a plant species in shaping the larger community with which it interacts, such as compositions of arthropod faunas. We demonstrate that such cross-trophic interactions also influence sexually selected traits. We used a member of the Enchenopa binotata species complex of treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae) to ask whether male mating signals are influenced by host plant genetic variation. We reared a random sample of the treehoppers on potted replicates of a sample of host plant clone lines. We found that treehopper male signals varied according to the clone line on which they developed, showing that genetic variation in host plants affects male treehoppers' behavioural phenotypes. This is the first demonstration of cross-trophic indirect genetic effects on a sexually selected trait. We discuss how such effects may play an important role in the maintenance of variation and within-population phenotypic differentiation, thereby promoting evolutionary divergence.
社区遗传学研究表明，植物物种内部的遗传变异会“自下而上”地影响与其相互作用的更大的群落，例如节肢动物区系的组成。我们证明，这种跨营养级的相互作用也会影响有性选择特征。我们使用一种树蝉（半翅目：蝉科）的 Enchenopa binotata 种复合体来探究雄性交配信号是否受到宿主植物遗传变异的影响。我们在盆栽的宿主植物克隆系样本的重复样本上饲养了树蝉的随机样本。我们发现，树蝉雄性的信号根据它们发育的克隆系而变化，这表明宿主植物的遗传变异会影响雄性树蝉的行为表型。这是首次证明跨营养级的间接遗传效应对有性选择特征的影响。我们讨论了这种影响如何在维持变异和种群内表型分化方面发挥重要作用，从而促进进化分歧。
